Atlas Art: Title Pages and Frontispieces, 1493-1852

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From almost the very beginning of Gutenberg’s movable type, more than 600 years ago, atlases — books filled with maps — were printed with highly decorative title pages and frontispieces characterized by great allegorical invention and the exotica and mystery associated with distant lands. These beautiful pictorial devices were an intersection of cartography, art and commerce designed to entice the viewer to acquire the atlas while also encouraging viewers to appreciate both the mythological and physical qualities of the areas portrayed.

This exhibition celebrates this often overlooked art form over a more than 500 year period, and is drawn from the rich private collection of longtime map collector and dealer Page Stockwell, along with materials from the John Wilson Special Collections of Multnomah County Library.